I just went back and listened to The Old 97's new disc Blame it on Gravity again and decided it's the best entry in the band's catalog, which means it's one of the best alt-country albums of all time, which means I need to make a list. (For my four-star review of Blame it on Gravity click here and scroll down.) To simplify things, the CD had to come out after Uncle Tupelo's 1990 debut No Depression — or else this tally would probably be all Gram Parsons' bands, Townes Van Zandt and Outlaw Country classics. Anyway, her ya go:
Top 10: Alt-country albums
1. After Awhile (1991), Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Killer track: "Tonight I Think I'm Gonna Go Downtown"
2. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998), Lucinda Williams
Killer track: "Drunken Angel"
3. Human Remains (1996), Terry Allen
Killer track: "Back to Black" (w/Lucinda Williams)
4. Anodyne (1993), Uncle Tupelo
Killer track: "Give back the Key to My Heart" (w/Doug Sahm)
5. Train A-Comin' (1995), Steve Earle
Killer track: "Goodbye"
6. The Houston Kid (2001), Rodney Crowell
Killer track: "Rock of My Soul"
7. Teatro (1998), Willie Nelson
Killer track: "I Never Cared for You"
8. The Way I Should (1996), Iris DeMent
Killer track" "Wasteland of the Free"
9. Wrecking Ball (1995), Emmylou Harris
Killer track: "Where Will I Be"
10. Blame it on Gravity (2008), The Old 97's
Killer track: "The Fool"
WHAT DID I MISS?
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 3, 2008.